Only Years
by Invisia
Summary: AU. Harry and his friends enter their sixth year at Hogwarts to find that Dumbledore is in possesion of a mysterious object that could destroy them all...
1. Detention Night

**A/N: **Well, this came to me as the idea of an alternate universe where everything is _yours_ to play with. So here's my version of an AU fic. It will be written as a series of one-shots I should think...

**Central Characters: **Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, Romilda Vane, Padma Patil, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Albus Dumbledore, Ariana Dumbledore, Lord Voldemort

**Disclaimer: **All characters, places and all other things to do with Harry Potter belong to JK Rowling. But I bet you already knew that...

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**NOTE: **This story is set in a world where Ariana Dumbledore never died and her brother, Albus, got pulled into the dark arts. This is set in a world where Hogwarts is under the control of Voldemort's second-in-command. So, as you can imagine, our heros grew up in quite an unusual setting...

**Also Note: **Coming up with this story was easy: I got a list of all the HP characters and put them into a random generator. I then picked a role- example, 'Death Eater'- and generated a name. If the answer was a student, I would then generate their house. Simple, really.

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**Detention Night**

_September '96_

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In the Detention Room there was a fire, and this fire was good for sitting around whilst you waited. On a particulary cold Monday morning, a week after the school year commenced on September first, the room was jam-packed. About fifty students from first through seventh year were stood, sat and lounging around, most trying to get as close to the fire as possible. The teachers cared none at all for the well-being of their students, and so the room was bitterly cold.

Closest to the fire were three students the population of Hogwarts knew quite well: Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood. The three sixth-year Gryffindors were famous throughout the school, known to many as 'The Golden Trio'.

Harry Potter was the son of a Death Eater and a muggle-born witch. Harry's father had tried to kill the boy on the Dark Lord's orders, but had been stopped by his wife, whom he had slain. He had tried to kill the boy, too, but the moment the curse had hit him it had rebounded, and James Potter had almost been hit. Many a Death Eater had tried to kill the boy, but found themselves unable. No-one knew exactly why.

Neville Longbottom was the grandson of their transfiguration professor, Augusta Longbottom. His parents had gone missing shortly after The Dark Lord had taken over Britain, and so he had been raised within the walls of Hogwarts by his Gran.

Luna Lovegood was also the daughter of a professor- of their Defence professor, in fact, one Xenophillius Lovegood. Her mother was a crippled woman who worked on the grounds. The family was nice enough, and many found themselves going to Rose- Luna's mother- for advice.

Luna and Neville had been friends for as long as they could remember, being almost the same age and both being the only kids who lived permanantly at Hogwarts. Harry had joined as their friend later, in first year, when- rumour had it- Dumbledore had murdured a student with a Secrecy Sensor.

The great thing about the Golden Triop was, to most of the school, the amazing stories they could tell. The three openly opposed the Dark Lord, though no-one dared touch them, not even Dumbledore. Which was odd, after all, with him being the headmaster.

Not far from where the Golden Trio sat was a sobbing girl with long, fiery locks. Her name was Ginny Weasley, and she was a year younger than the Golden Trio. The tie around her neck proclaimed her a Slytherin, despite her emotional state, because, as everyone knows, a Slytherin never lets anyone see them cry.

In the corner of the room, as far from the Golden Trio as you could get, stood three girls, all shivering and sending dirty looks at the three their names were Romilda Vane, Padma Patil, and Hermione Granger, and they were often described as the Trio's worst enemies. The three Slytherins were obviously not very pleased to be in the room.

"Granger, Hermione," called a voice; the students turned to see Professor Rookwood stood at the wide archway into the room. The Slytherin girl scowled, shook herself, and walked out of the room with a cold air about her, sending one last look at the golden trio over her shoulder.

After the two had left the room the general chatter continued. Nobody looked at the doorway if they could help it. On detention nights, it wasn't a pleasent sight.

Soon Professor Rookwood returned. "Longbottom, Neville," he called, and by the fire, Neville stood.

"See you back in the common room," he told his friends grimly, and they wished him look. Stiffly, Neville walked over to the door and out into the corridor. The students chatted once more, though the air was increasingly uncomfortable now. Nobody wanted the Professor to return, but he came soon enough.

"Lovegood, Luna."

Luna stood, her lip quivering. She took a deep breath and steadied herself, picking her way through the crowd to the door. Upon reaching the archway she raised her hand to Harry, who mirrored the gesture, before leaving the room.

Harry Potter sat alone by the fire, staring into the depths of it. No matter how hot the flames got, he still felt cold, and oddly numb. Soon enough Professor Rookwood returned, and he, unlike the others, refused to turn around.

"Patil, Padma," he heard the name called, and tried dreadfully hard not to gulp. Next time, it was his turn.

"Potter, Harry," he heard his name called, and stood, trying not to let his fear obvious. However, it must have been evident in his eyes. The staff had been told to be harder on him than anyone else, because of his 'blatant show of rebellion.' That was the punishment for not supporting Death Eaters, and it wasn't a good one.

He reached the metal door and Professor Rookwood held it open for him. He nodded his thanks to the man and stepped inside. The door swung shut behind him.

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The Gryffindor common room was quiet. In their usual shadowy echoed sat Neville and Luna, each shaking, each sore, and each worried. They exchanged a glance, the smae thing on their mind: where was Harry?

Suddenly the portrait swung open and in limped Harry. He looked awful- but then, after detention, he almost always did. His eyes were hollow, his face dull, his movements slow and painful. He slumped down in teh seat next to them, his eyes closed.

"Harry mate, you alright?" Neville asked worriedly.

"Mmm-hmm," Harry replied. Luna sighed, jumping to her feet.

"I'm going to bed," she proclaimed. "Goodnight Neville. Goodnight Harry."

"Goodnight," her best friends chorused. Then the blonde turned and stalked from the room, tears leaking from her eyes.

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**A/N: **Like it? Hate it? Anyone?


	2. Common Ground

**A/N: **...

**Disclaimer: **If I owner Harry Potter, I would be very, very rich. However, I am not rich, let alone very, very rich, so logic would say that I don't own Harry Potter.

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**Common Ground**

_September '96_

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It was Tuesday, the day after Detention Night, and the Gryffindor Common Room was full of noise. Students sat and stood around, chatting and laughing and studying together. In their usual corner sat the Golden Trio, who were laughing together over a particulary nasty comment Luna had just made.

"Why don't we just push them in the lake?" Neville asked. "Do you think they can swim?"

"Hermione Granger can- remember third year?"

"Oh, that was _hillarious!" _

The three were, of course, referring to an incident during a Herbology lesson when Ariana had asked them to partner up and look in the lake for Saggitaria subulata. Luna and Granger had been paired up, and Hermione had 'accidently' pushed Luna into the lake. When attempting to 'help' Luna out of the water, Granger had been pulled in herself, and the two girls had ended up having a water fight. The memory of it made them smile.

"Ariana's _so _nice," Luna commented with a sigh. "We didn't even get detention for it!"

"Ariana never gives anyone detention," Neville reminded her. "I don't think she approves..."

"You mean she's on our side?" Luna checked, and Neville nodded.

"It makes sense- I mean, she certainly doesn't get on with most of the other teachers, does she?"

"No, you're right," Harry agreed. "If anyone's as opposed to Dumbledore and Voldemort as us, it's Ariana."

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Meanwhile, in the dungeons, Arina was also being discussed, by a very different trio.

"This Herbology homework is stupid!" Romilda Vane complained, throwing down her quill on the parchment. Her friends looked up from their own essays and nooded.

"You're right," Padma Patil agreed. "Ariana's a bitch."

"Remember that one time in third year when Lovegood shoved me into the lake and never got detention for it?" Hermione Granger added. Her friends nodded, their lips curling in disgust. Hermione scowled. She had honestly been trying to help her parner out of the lake- after all, despite their rivalry, it was an assignment, and Hermione Granger _never_ failed an assignment. Not. Ever.

"She obviously prefers anyone so open about their allegiance to _us,"_ Romilda sniffed. "I wish she would just open her bloody eyes and see the truth."

"The truth being, anyone opposing Voldemort is an ally to her, and she shouldn't be ticking them off," Padma added. For the truth was that the girls, despite their actions and attidudes, were about as against the Dark Lord as Hermione was to oranges. And Hermione really _hated _oranges. They weren't, however, open about it- their aim was to bring Voldemort down from the _inside. _After all, they weren't Slytherin for _nothing. _

"Let's finish this essay tomorrow," Padma proposed, and she and Romilda proceeded to put their homework away. However, Hermione shook her head.

"No, I have to finish it now. Geez, guys, we only have a week to hand it in!"

Her friends rolled their eyes. _Typical Hermione. _

* * *

In the very back of Hogwarts' School Library sat a red-head, bent over a transfiguration essay. Her brown eyes were wet with unshed tears.

It wasn't surprising, really. The life of the youngest Weasley child was hard, difficult and confusing. Their family had been split down the middle for years.

Arthur Weasley had been a Gryffindor in his time at school, and from the time of Voldemort's first appearance had been against him. Molly, however, had been Slytherin, and all for the idea. Their kids had been forced to take sides, and it was usually their house placement that had told their parents who they supported.

Bill, the eldest, had been Gryffindor, and sure enough, despised the Dark Lord. Charlie had been ravenclaw, and was now in Romania, away from the whole family feud. Percy had been Gryffindor, and on Dad's side; Fred and George had been Slyrtherin, and on Mum's. Ron, her favourite brother, had been Gryffindor.

Ginny had always known that she utterly despised the Dark Lord, and that's why being in Slytherin had surprised her. Her family had then thought her on Mum's side; Bill had refused to talk to her, Percy was cold, and Ron picked on her endlessly. Fred and George, however, had always stuck up and looked out for her, and she'd appreciated that. However, they had left at the end of her fourth year, and had gone straight into Voldemort's ranks. Ginny was expected to do the same.

Except that she hated Voldemort.

She hated Slytherin.

She hated her family.

She hated her life.

Pushing the essay out of the way she started afresh on a new piece of parchment. She hesitated a moment before pressing her quill to form the words...

_Dear Ariana..._


	3. Ginny's Letter

**A/N: **-

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter, just like Hermione does not own oranges.

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**Ginny's Letter**

_September '96_

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Ariana smiled as her fifth-year students left the greenhouse. She walked over and shut the door, before returning to her desk.

To her surprise, she found an envelope on top of her papers, and frowned. She opened it with a fingernail and opened the letter to read it.

_Dear Ariana, _

_What do you do if someone is depending on you to do something, but you really don't want to? Ever since I was eleven years old my family has expected me to become a Death Eater, except that I hate the idea. The Dark Lord's doings are wrong, and I don't want to be part of it. _

_I don't really have any friends, or any family to confide in, and you are my favourite teacher. Maybe you could help me? I'm so scared. I have no idea what I'm doing with my life..._

_Best wishes, _

_Ginny Weasley._

_P.S: Don't let anyone see you talking to me, please? _

Ariana put down the letter and smiled. This was just what she'd been waiting for, for years... The seven prophecised, who would help her in her goals. She stood and walked to the window.

Oh, he had hidden far too long. Now that everything was falling into place, she would fight him. He would die.

Oh, yes. Her brother was coming to his end- along with all his Death Eater friends.


	4. Ariana's Prophecy

**A/N: **-

**Disclaimer: ***Sings to the tune of 'If I Were a Boy'* If I owned Harry Potter, even just for a day, I would flaunt all the characters, and go through JK's private notes... But since I'm not, I'll have to say, that Harry Potter never belonged to me, and never will, okay?

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**Ariana's Prophecy**

_October '96_

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The staff room was rather full today. Augusta Longbottom and Xenophillius Lovegood sat over cups of coffee, chatting about bits and pieces. Amelia Bones and Ludo Bagman were playing chess, being watched by Ted Tonks, Remus Lupin and Mundungus Fletcher. Augustus Rookwood, Mary Cattermole, Delores Umbridge, Roldolphus Lestrange and, of course, Dumbledore and Ariana seemed to be the only ones not present.

Suddenly the door opened and everybody looked up from what they were doing. In the doorway was a figure that had never been their before, and everyone gasped. Blonde-haired, blue-eyes and young-looking despite being just under a hundered years old... Ariana, the Herbology professor, stood at the door.

"I have come to tell you," she called, her voice rather haughty, "That the Headmaster is looking for something. If he finds this, then you shall all die. Just thought I'd let you know." With that, she turned and swept from the room.

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It was October before Ginny got a reply to her letter.

_Dear Ginny, _

_If you have time, I would like you to come to Greenhouse Six today after dinner. Can you manage that?_

_Best wishes, _

_Ariana. _

Ginny smiled. Today was Wednesday, and she was entirely free. In fact, it was only on Mondays that she was ever busy- somehow, despite trying to be a wallflower, she was always given detention for something or another.

She folded the letter away and put it into her bag. Wild horses wouldn't stop her from being there.

* * *

Luna laughed. She liked laughing, funnily enough. She liked her friends, herbology, fiction and philosophy. She liked all things make-believe and all things true. She was an expert on wizarding mythology, and upon leaving school, planned to be an author or a journalist.

It was dinnertime on Wednesday and she was sat with her two best friends. Not far away were Dean Thomas, a year older than them and head boy, and Ron Weasley, his best friend. The two were likable enough characters, she supposed- she could even call them friends. Not her best friends, however. That honor was reserved for Harry and Neville only.

_Harry and Neville,_ she mused, _Are two of the strangest boys I have ever met._ Ant it was true; Harry, who, by all means, should have been dark, was rumoured to be chosen to destroy the Dark Lord. Neville, who's parents were missing and who's Grandmother was always busy, should've been lonely- but he wasn't. Luna supposed she had something to do with it.

She had first met Neville when they had been five years old. Neville's grandmother had been given the potion as transfiguration professor when the two of them were three, and he had spent two long, lonely years cooped up at the school. Then her own father- the wise, good-humoured and imaginative Xenophillius Lovegood- had been offered the position as defence professor, after his spectacular defeat of the minotaur that had crippled Luna's mother. So the family had left Lovegood House in Ottery St. Catchpole and come to Hogwarts. It was here that she had met Neville, and they'd been best friends ever since.

Harry had joined up with them much, much later. Due to the many failed attempts by the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters to kill the boy, Harry had quite the name, and his own nickname- The Boy Who Lived. She had been weary of him at first, but found, after chatting to him at their first Opening Feast, that he was a pretty likable kid, even if he did come from a dark background. They'd soon become firm friends- best friends.

Luna didn't particulary like Harry's father, James Potter. James, along with his three best friends, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew had become Death Eaters straight out of school, even if it had been risky at the time. Until they had all turned two, Voldemort had been a terrorist- then the ministry had fallen. Nowadays, you were considered 'cool' for taking the mark. Luna thought it rather sick.

She smiled slightly, remembering the end of their third year. Harry had invited- or rather, had been forced to bring- Neville and Luna to his house for a couple of weeks in the summer. James had refused to bring "Two blood-traitors" into his house, resulting in a major argument and a duel right there, in King's Cross. James had, of course, beaten Harry, and the two had parted ways; Harry refused to return home to Godric's Hollow, and had instead come with Neville and Luna back to the school. He had since been staying with Hagrid, the gameskeeper, and as far as Luna knew, hadn't seen his father since that day.

"Heeeloooo? Earth to Luna... Luna..."

Luna blinked to find Neville waving his hand before her eyes.

"S-Sorry," she stammered, smiling sheepishly. "What were you saying?"

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Ginny Weasley looked back at the castle, searching for the sign of someone- anyone- watching her. Nothing. Quickly she slipped into Greenhouse Six, the hood on her cloak pulled up. She let it down once she was safely inside, and sat down on one of the desks to wait.

She wasn't waiting long; Ariana soon joined her.

"Ginny," the blonde woman greeted warmly. "How can I help?"

"My family wants me to be a Death Eater," Ginny blurted out, "But I don't want to be and I don't know what to do and-"

"Hush," Ariana soothed. "You needn't worry. Do you know what the term 'evanesce' means?"

"No clue," Ginny admitted.

"It means 'disappear'. And that, Ginny, is exactly what you are going to do."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Ginny asked curiously, looking straight up at the professor.

"We both know that this can't go on for much longer, Ginny. The Dark Lord has been in reign almost fourteen years, and it is time to end this." She smiled. "Long ago, when the war was being fought, I created a secret group of resitance fighters- the Order of the Phoenix. We have every category of resitance you need- spies, sabbotagers, teachers, preachers, medics and politcians. If you would like- at the end of your sixth or seventh year- you could disappear. Evanesce, if you will. Come to the Order."

"Yeah," Ginny agreed, her whirlpool of thoughts calming themselves. "Yeah, thanks, Ariana. You're the best!"

"Yes..." Ariana agreed, as if distracted. Ginny frowned.

"Is there something else?" she asked curiously.

"Well no- maybe-" Ariana mumbled. "Actually... Ginny, can I tell you something? A secret, something I've never told anyone?"

"Go ahead."

"There's a woman in the Order- Pomona Sprout, her name is. She's a Seer. We don't meet very often, and the last time we did, almost six years ago now, she gave me a prophecy. It tells of seven, ones who have the power to rid us of Voldemort. I think I have finally found the seven, but I... I am uncertain."

"Can- Can I hear it?" Ginny asked tentatively. "The prophecy, I mean." Ariana closed her eyes with a sigh, and began to recite.

_"In time come seven young, _

_Shadows they will be overhung, _

_Three who shine so, their light could blind, _

_Three who hide, fall behind, _

_Six bound together could mean victory true;_

_Six apart could mean war and loss anew._

_Then comes one, apart from all_

_The one who will take the largest fall_

_Emotions of water, hopes turned to dust, _

_She is the one they all must trust_

_Three together, six allied, _

_One to join either side_

_From these, your wishes true_

_Bring joys many and shadows few."_

Ginny frowned. "It sounds like there are two trio's, who, joined together, could defeat the Dark Lord?" she checked. "And then a single person could unite them?"

Ariana nodded. "There are some parts... parts I do not understand. For example, when talking of the second trio- _three who hide, fall behind? _Then there's _Who will take the largest fall, Emotions of water, Hopes turned to dust. _I don't understand what that means, either, so many doubled meanings... However, I strongly suspect who the prophecy refers to."

"And who would that be?" Ginny asked, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. She, too, had an idea of what the prophecy referred to...

"Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, Hermione Granger, Padma Patil, Romilda Vane and... You, Ginny."

_"ME?"_

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**A/N: **MWAHAHAHAHA! And I shall leave you there, dear readers, on this pleasent cliffhanger. Want another chapter? Review. Seriously, review or no updates.


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